Record meth bust at the airport

The Judiciary Police (PJ) has busted the largest methamphetamine smuggling ring in the region’s history, seizing approximately 11.1 kilograms of the drug, estimated at a street value of around MOP36.3 million.

The bust occurred Sunday evening when a 27-year-old Taiwanese man, surnamed Wang, was intercepted at Macau International Airport after arriving on a flight from Thailand. PJ officers acting on intelligence reports had been monitoring the suspect, whom they believed was part of a broader drug trafficking network. The suspect, carrying a large suitcase, was described as “very shaky and panicky” upon arrival.

The police chief said that this was the largest methamphetamine seizure ever made in Macau. He suspects the drugs were meant to be transshipped to Hong Kong, with Macau serving as a transit point for the operation.

During the search, police discovered 10 packages of methamphetamine disguised as tea and concealed in three large gift boxes in the suspect’s luggage. Wang, who is unemployed, reportedly confessed to smuggling the drugs from Thailand to Macau on the instructions of an online drug cartel. He was promised a MOP12,000 reward if the delivery was successful.

Probing the wider criminal syndicate linked to the drug trafficking scheme, the PJ expressed concern over Macau’s potential rise as a key transit point for the trafficking of narcotics between Southeast Asia regions and Hong Kong. The suspect has been handed over to the Public Prosecutions Office for further investigation and accusation. Victoria Chan